Sportsrageous

Haas F1 Announces First Formula One Driver, Romain Grosjean

The latest team to join the Formula 1 racing in 2016, Haas, announced Romain Grosjean as their first Formula 1 driver. Team owner Gene Haas and team principal Gunther Steiner confirmed on signing the french driver, during a press conference at Haas’ headquarters in Kannapolis.

Autosport quoted Grosjean as saying, “It’s a question I have had to ask myself, thinking about your future and career, which is always important. I like the fact it’s different to what a normal F1 team would do, and it’s an approach that could be pretty successful. When you’re racing in F1 you’re doing so not to be last, but to be doing your best as a team and as a driver, and drinking champagne on the podium. I also like the partnership with Ferrari, with the way things have been going slowly and nicely, and I’m very happy with the decision.”

The French racer made his Formula One debut in 2009 with Renault. 29-year-old Grosjean had been with Lotus for the last four years and recorded 10 podium finishes in 78 Grand prix, notes BBC Sport.

According to Autosport, who provided an indepth analysis of the new signing, there was some madness and risk in undertaking the new franchise deal. The reports suggested that Grosjean might be committing a career suicide. With a proven podium record finishes, the experienced champ could have 2017 on his mind, before joining the startup team.

On signing their new Formula 1 driver, team owner Gene Haas said, “This is part of our long-term strategy. We wanted an experienced driver to lead our team into the 2016 season. F1 is a tricky business, and like any business you have to learn, and the best way is to learn from other people. I reviewed a lot of videos of his driving style, and one of the things that is very impressive is that he has scored points every season, and our primary goal is to be able to score points.”